LB Rubio living up to high expectations

Jonathan HullMidland Reporter-Telegram

Published 5:33 pm, Thursday, September 15, 2011

Photo: Cindeka Nealy

Image 1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

Midland High line backer Anthony Rubio (40) celebrates after sacking San Angelo Central quarterback Logan O'Brien (8) during a game last year at Grande Communication Stadium. Cindeka Nealy/Reporter-Telegram

Midland High line backer Anthony Rubio (40) celebrates after sacking San Angelo Central quarterback Logan O'Brien (8) during a game last year at Grande Communication Stadium. Cindeka Nealy/Reporter-Telegram

Photo: Cindeka Nealy

LB Rubio living up to high expectations

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

Anthony Rubio came to the varsity level ready to make plays.

And while the Midland High linebacker was in on more than his fair share of stops as a junior last season, there's one particular play that stands out in the minds of many.

After darting into the backfield against San Angelo Central, Rubio made a big hit on a Bobcats ball carrier before he could even reach the line of scrimmage. Caught up in the moment, Rubio began to do a celebratory dance in the Central backfield, leaving the image ingrained in the minds of those in attendance.

"I practiced it all week," Rubio said of his jig. "I got caught up in the game and was excited. I practiced it all week, so I thought it was the perfect time to use it."

Midland High is hoping Rubio might make a few more plays worthy of showing off his dance moves when it travels to Lowrey Field in a matchup against Lubbock Monterey at 7:30 p.m. today.

The senior linebacker certainly left his mark on last week's 49-14 victory against Lubbock Coronado, recovering a fumble on Coronado's side of the field that led to a Midland High touchdown.

Standing at 6-feet, 1-inch and weighing 220 pounds, Rubio certainly passes the eye test when evaluating exactly what type of player he is.

"He's worked very, very hard and he looks like a football player," MHS coach Craig Yenzer said. "We've had high expectations of Anthony since his sophomore year and he's lived up to those expectations. He's real physical and we feel like he plays well in space."

As a junior, Rubio finished fifth on the team with 68 tackles, including a sack and six tackles for loss. This season Rubio is currently fourth on the team with 18 tackles, but notes that his success last year has made his senior campaign much easier.

"It helps a lot because this year I know what's going to happen with the teams we're playing," Rubio said. "There's no shock to being out there on Friday nights with everybody cheering this year."

Perhaps the most valuable part of Rubio's skill set, Yenzer said, is his ability to understand how to drop into pass coverage, which can never be undervalued as more and more high school teams switch to the spread offense.

"In today's game of football you have to be a space player and have good feet," Yenzer said. "He understands drops and secondary coverages. He's intelligent. It's real refreshing to tell a guy a concept and not have to tell him several times. He's a complete package."

Rubio is one of seven experienced senior starters who returned to the Midland High defense this season. Playing with a veteran front seven gives Rubio plenty of confidence in himself and his teammates. That began to show in the third quarter against Lubbock Coronado last week.

Up until a 55-yard TD run by Coronado running back Sterling Jones late in the third frame, the defense had held Coronado to 2 yards since halftime and had forced two turnovers, allowing the Bulldogs to break away to 42-0 advantage.

It's what Rubio believes is a performance the Bulldogs' front seven is capable of on a weekly basis.

"Everybody just started to get going. There was something in the halftime Gatorade I guess," Rubio joked. "With the front seven we have they shouldn't gain a yard rushing the ball."

Who knows, maybe a dominant performance can give Rubio a reason to do a another jig.

What to expect on offense: Multiple spread. Monterey will provide numerous looks on offense, but prefer to run the ball. Their base set is in a spread formation with an H-back lining up offset and who is often sent in motion on each play. Midland High coach Craig Yenzer says the Plainsmen's lead dives and option plays worry him from that formation. Monterey coach Todd Pearson says the Plainsmen will run the football first and try to control the clock. "We're not unlike a lot of teams. We like to run the football and pass as needed," Pearson said.

What to expect on defense: 3-4. Monterey lines up with three down linemen and four linebackers with a goal of getting as many players freed up to get to the football as possible. Yenzer was personally impressed by Monterey's defensive line. "Their three linemen are impressive," Yenzer said. "They seem to be fairly athletic."

Of note

n Monterey came into the season decimated by graduation on the offensive side of the ball. The Plainsmen returned just one offensive starter -- WR Kit Henderson -- from last season's 2-9 team. The Plainsmen are averaging 243 yards a game with only 61 yards of those yards coming through the air. Senior quarterback Tanner Maloney leads Monterey in rushing with 309 yards on 52 carries.

But the Plainsmen are still searching for all the right pieces to their offense.

"We're a young football team, offensively for sure," Pearson said. "We're still looking for the right personnel. We're building daily and weekly."

n Monterey is coming off a 32-13 loss to Wolfforth Frenship that Pearson believes could have turned out very differently were it not for a couple Plainsmen mistakes in the fourth quarter.

Monterey trailed 20-13 with 11:50 to play in the game. However, Pearson said the Plainsmen started to try some things on offense they typically didn't try and it backfired.

"For three quarters of the game, we were within striking distance," Pearson said. "We did some things not characteristic of our game plan to try to get back in the game quicker. It just didn't work out in our favor."

n Midland High has featured a balanced attack this season, rushing for 523 yards while passing for 609. The Bulldogs' ability to run such a balanced scheme has Pearson's attention.

The Bulldogs currently have players in the top three of every major offensive statistical category in District 3-5A. Senior quarterback Tanner Culp is second in passing yardage with 561 yards, while he leads 3-5A with six TD passes and has completed a district-best 75 percent of his attempts.

Senior running back Jacoby Webster is third in 3-5A with 353 rushing yards on 47 carries, while senior receiver Donavon Lee is second in the district with 297 receiving yards. Lee is also second with three receiving TDs and leads the district with his 29.7 yards per reception average among players with at least two catches this season.

"They're a quality football team," Pearson said. "For them to be able to put a lot of points on the board in a fashion across the board, whether its with the run or pass is impressive and hard to defend. They have several playmakers."

n Monterey is one of Midland High's most storied rivals outside of the Permian Basin. Today will mark the 51st meeting between the two programs since 1956. The Bulldogs and Plainsmen played every season from 1956 to 1993. The rivalry renewed in 1998 and they have played each other every season since. Midland High holds the edge at 8-5 since 1998, including four straight wins against Monterey. The last time the Plainsmen beat the Bulldogs was in 2006, 38-24.